Revisiting Herzfeld’s Letters and Diaries from the Samarra Excavation 1911–1913

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The excavation at Samarra in present-day Iraq in 1911–1913, directed by Ernst Herzfeld and facilitated by Friedrich Sarre, was a key moment in Islamic archaeology. This contribution re-examines Herzfeld’s diaries and parts of the excavation archive which, until now, have been utilized primarily to contextualize the finds and elucidate the roles of Herzfeld, Sarre, and the Berlin museum.

By uncovering previously marginalized narratives, emphasizing the agency of local facilitators and labourers, and re-reading Herzfeld’s narratives of conflicts with local stakeholders, this contribution encourages reflection on the interpretation of excavation records within broader historical contexts, thereby challenging Eurocentric narratives. It stresses the need to critically engage with archival biases in order to better understand the complexities of German imperial excavations in the Ottoman Empire.